Bogalusa City Court responds to Cuts in Mayor's Proposed FY2024 Budget

A Press Release from Judge David Merlin Duke 

Mayor Tyrin Troung’s proposed FY2024 budget, introduced to the Bogalusa City Council, includes a 16% cut to the salaries of Bogalusa City Court employees. This includes a reduction in the Judge's salary, which violates both the Louisiana Constitution and the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

Additionally, the budget proposes salary cuts for two of the three court clerks, placing their pay below the starting salary for general laborer positions in the public works department.

State law and the city charter mandate that budgets must be passed before the start of a fiscal year. However, despite operating on a calendar fiscal year, the City of Bogalusa has yet to approve a budget for 2024.

The City Court, as the third branch of city government, is uniquely targeted in the Mayor’s budget, with proposed salary cuts for every court employee.

The Bogalusa City Court, established in 1914 alongside the creation of the City of Bogalusa, is a state court of record that handles civil matters, adult misdemeanors, juvenile delinquency, and child-in-need-of-care cases in the 4th Ward of Washington Parish.

Judge David Merlin Duke, a native of Bogalusa, was elected in 2020 and began his term in 2021.

For further information, please contact Judge David Merlin Duke at 985-732-6204 or 985-261-1020, or via email at judgeduke@bogalusa.org